Middelharnis () is a town and former municipality in the western

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, in the province of

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

, on the island of

Goeree-Overflakkee Goeree-Overflakkee () is the southernmost delta island of the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is separated from Voorne-Putten and Hoeksche Waard by the Haringvliet, from the mainland of North Brabant by the Volkerak, and from Schouwen ...

. The town had a population of about 6,800 in 2012. On 1 January 2013, Middelharnis merged with

Goedereede Goedereede () is a little town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality had a population of about 11,000 in 2010. It consisted of the west part of the island of Goeree-Overfla ...

Dirksland Dirksland () is a village and former municipality on Goeree-Overflakkee Island in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality had a population of about 8,000 in 2007, and covered an area of about 74 km� ...

, and

Oostflakkee Oostflakkee () is a former municipality on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covered an area of about 107 km² (of which about 33 km² was covered by wa ...

into the new municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1466 as "die Middelharnisse". The etymology is disputed. Middelharnis developed after a dike was built around the Oudeland ''polder'' in 1465. In 1598, a fish auction was built in Middelharnis and it developed into a regional centre. The Dutch Reformed church is a double aisled cruciform church from the 15th century. The tower was built in stages from 1475 until 1520. The church was devastated by fire in 1904 and later restored. The former town hall is a prominently situated neoclassic building with ridge turret built between 1639 and 1640. It was designed by . It was extended between 1834 and 1839. The town hall is in use as the

Rien Poortvliet Rien Poortvliet (; 7 August 1932 – 15 September 1995) was a Dutch artist and illustrator. Born in Schiedam, Poortvliet was best known for his drawings of animals and for "Gnomes", a famous series of illustrated books with text by Wil Huygen ...

since 1992. Middelharis was home to 3,104 people in 1840 and was home to 7,755 people in 2022. It merged with

Sommelsdijk Sommelsdijk is a village on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee, South Holland, the Netherlands, and part of the municipality of the same name. Sommelsdijk has (1 January 2022) 7,195 inhabitants which makes it the second largest settlement after Midd ...

into a single urban area. It was an independent municipality until 2013 when it merged into

. The town hall of the new municipality is located in Middelharnis. Middelharnis has a shopping area called ''D'n Diek''. This shopping center settled itself on a dike which used to be the last barrier for the town from the

Haringvliet The Haringvliet is a large inlet of the North Sea, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is an important estuary of the Rhine-Meuse delta. Near Numansdorp, the Hollands Diep splits into the Haringvliet and the Volkerak estu ...

. The town hosts two public and one Christian high school. Middelharnis has an inland harbor with connection to the Haringvliet. There is also a small beach which can get very crowded in the summertime. In Middelharnis the old main street has the old municipality building.

Gallery

Image:Middelharnis Nederlands Hervormde Kerk 02.JPG, Dutch Reformed Church. File:RM29775 Middelharnis - Voorstraat 31.jpg, House in Middelharnis File:Middelharnis - Voorstraat.jpg, Street view File:RM29748 Middelharnis - Raadhuisstraat 1.jpg, Former town hall

References

External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2013 Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Goeree-Overflakkee